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Hepatitis and Asian Americans

In the United States, one study reports that approximately half of the 1 million persons with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are Asian/Pacific Islanders, most of whom became infected with HBV before arriving in the United States.

In 2015, Asian Americans were 1.7 times more likely to contract hepatitis
A, as compared to whites.

Among all ethnic groups in 2015, Asian/Pacific Islanders had the highest incidence of hepatitis A.

Asian Americans are twice as more likely to develop chronic hepatitis B, as compared to whites.

2016 surveillance shows that Asian Americans were eight times more likely to die from hepatitis B than non-Hispanic whites.